Honestly I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to make this dish when this is how it was described to me, “it was only the second time in my life I wanted to cry after tasting a sauce. The first was when I tried my mom’s braised lamb shanks when I was 18.”
That emotional reaction to food could only come from one person, my dear friend Julia, and one of my favorite people to eat with. Julia has spent her entire career working with some of the best restaurants in San Francisco and representing some of the biggest brands in food like avocados and meat. Yes, meat. Our conversations float from discussions about top five favorite foods, to the latest and greatest dishes we’ve tried. She has also been one of my biggest supporters, pushing me to tell my stories of food.
What I love most about foodie friends are the amazing culinary recommendations. I religiously follow food blogs and cooking shows but there is something more trustworthy about a recipe from a friend, especially when they have Julia’s culinary palate. She definitely talked up this dish, and I must say, if it weren’t for the trusty PB&J this might be my execution meal.
Algerian tagine hasn’t ever been high on my list of dishes to try but I am so thankful it was for Julia. It is unreal. There are so many flavors going on here but no ingredient overwhelms the others. The orange marmalade and apricot sauce topped with the spiced toasted pine nuts can not be properly described by the word delicious. Jules also recommend picking up Ras El Hanout – a spice mix from North Africa. The mixture can consist of more than a dozen spices and varies by shop. Commonly used ingredients include: cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ground chili peppers, coriander, cumin, peppercorn, paprika and turmeric. The recipe below doesn’t call for it but I added a pinch to both the tagine and the couscous. If you are looking for a dinner that is sure to ‘wow’, this dish (really the sauce) won’t disappoint.
Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Spiced Pine Nuts (Epicurious recipe)
Ingredients
For tagine
- 1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pound)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 large shallots, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons blood-orange preserves or bitter-orange marmalade
- 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
- 1 thyme sprig
- 2 cilantro sprigs
- 6 dried apricots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
For spiced pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Garnish: lemon wedges
Make tagine:
Cut out and reserve wings and backbone from chicken. Cut breast in half through bone, then cut off legs and cut to separate into thighs and drumsticks (for a total of 6 serving pieces, not including wings and backbone). Pat chicken pieces dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then brown chicken breasts, skin sides down, without turning, 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown thighs and legs, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes, transferring to plate. Brown wings and backbone in same manner.
Cook shallots in butter with remaining tablespoon oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, and paprika and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.
Add chicken with any juices from plate, saffron (if using), and 1/2 teaspoon salt to shallot mixture and turn chicken to coat. Add water and bring to a boil, covered, then cook at a bare simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
Turn chicken and add orange preserves, cinnamon stick, thyme, cilantro sprigs, and apricots. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until chicken is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Brown pine nuts while chicken cooks:
Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then stir in pine nuts, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne (if using) and cook, stirring frequently, until nuts are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes (watch carefully; they burn easily). Transfer to a small bowl.
To serve:
Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm, covered. If sauce is not thick, boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 cup. Discard herb sprigs, cinnamon stick, wings, and backbone. Stir in chopped cilantro and spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with nuts.